Easy Rider
Short description
Two bikers, Wyatt and Billy, ride from Los Angeles toward New Orleans after completing a drug deal in Southern California. Wyatt, known as Captain America, and Billy are headed for Mardi Gras, but the trip becomes a search for something less tangible: freedom, and a version of America they believe is still out there. Along the way they pick up a hitchhiker from a hippie commune, spend time among people living outside the mainstream, and encounter a small-town community whose hostility is provoked by little more than their appearance. An alcoholic lawyer they meet in a jail cell, George Hanson, joins them for part of the journey.
Easy Rider is Dennis Hopper's first film as director, and the starting point of a directorial career that continued with Colors, The Hot Spot, Catchfire and Chasers. Hopper also co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Fonda and Terry Southern. Fonda produced and plays Wyatt; Hopper plays Billy; Jack Nicholson plays George Hanson, with Antonio Mendoza, Phil Spector and Mac Mashourian among the credited cast.
The film was released in 1969 and took about 42 million dollars worldwide, a large return on a small production. On IMDb it holds a 7.2 rating from around 123,000 votes, and on TMDB a 7 rating from roughly 2,230 votes, indicating an audience reputation that has held steady over the decades. A critics' rating of 8.1 from 56 reviews places it somewhat higher than those audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- In 1998, the Library of Congress added the film to the National Film Registry for its cultural, historical, or aesthetic significance.
- The role of the lawyer was originally written for Terry Southern's friend, actor Rip Torn. During a meeting between Torn, Funds, and Hopper, the latter spoke disparagingly about rednecks he had encountered while traveling through the South, which greatly offended Torn, a Southerner. The argument nearly escalated into a fight. As a result, Torn left the project, and the role went to Nicholson.
- In many scenes of the film, the actors smoked real marijuana, but powdered sugar was used as a substitute for cocaine.
- Captain America’s motorcycle was very difficult to handle. During the filming of one scene, Jack Nicholson (who was sitting on the back seat) pressed his knees so hard against Fonda to maintain his balance that he broke one of his ribs.
- Captain America's chopper became the most expensive motorcycle in the world. In October 2014, during a very heated auction, the motorcycle was sold for a staggering $1.35 million.
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